We're No. 2 again: Commander and young Tsunami get acquainted during the American Kennel Club's annual press conference in New York announcing the most popular canine breeds. The German shepherd was again runner-up to the perennial champion, the Labrador retriever, which has been the top dog for 22 straight years.

A boot in the caboose: A riot cop gives a demonstrator a swift kick in the pants outside the Labor Ministry in Athens. Police arrested about 30 Communist unionists protesting new plans to cut pensions in the ministry and then used tear gas outside the building to disperse a larger group of protesters demanding their release.

Photo: Aris Messinis, AFP/Getty Images

A boot in the caboose: A riot cop gives a demonstrator a swift kick...

A boot in the caboose: A riot cop gives a demonstrator a swift... Photo-4110229.56000 - SFGate

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Star light, star bright, the first star I eat tonight: A seagull slowly gulps a starfish in Monterey, Calif.

Lacking traction in the snow, a wheel sprouts two legs to climb a sledding hill in Payson, Utah.

Photo: Sarah Weiser, Associated Press

Lacking traction in the snow, a wheel sprouts two legs to climb a...

Lacking traction in the snow, a wheel sprouts two legs to climb a... Photo-4113058.56000 - SFGate

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Circumnavigator makes landfall: The arrival of the monohull Hugo Boss and its English skipper, Alex Thomson, draw spectators to a seawall at Les Sables d'Olonne, France. Thomson placed third in the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world race.

Beachcombing bowwow bird-dogs bonanza: A lump of flotsam found on a beach in Morecambe, England, stands to make Briton Ken Wilman tens of thousands of euros richer. Wilman and his dog, Madge, were out for a walk when they came upon the yellow substance, which smelled putrid. Madge wouldn't let the "stone" alone, so Wilman collected it, and now he's glad he did. The debris is ambergris, a rare form of sperm whale vomit used in perfumes. He's already been offered 50,000 euros ($68,000) for it.

Photo: Nigel Slater, AFP/Getty Images

Beachcombing bowwow bird-dogs bonanza: A lump of flotsam found on a...

Buyer beware: Forty-nine-year-old Rita Tulipas makes about $6 a day selling snacks on the street in Manila. She might make more if her two-legged-dog Bambi was nicer to the customers. Bambi was born without forelegs.

Speared in the head, a Hawaiian monk seal lies on a beach on Rabbit Island off Waimanalo, Hawaii. Fortunately, the injury was very superficial, and a marine mammal rescue team was able to remove the shaft. Authorities are investigating whether someone intentionally or accidentally impaled the animal.

Photo: Mark Sullivan, Associated Press

Speared in the head, a Hawaiian monk seal lies on a beach on Rabbit...

Speared in the head, a Hawaiian monk seal lies on a beach on... Photo-4116769.56000 - SFGate

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Sunset stroll: A puddle reflects a dog walker and his two best friends on the Rhine meadows in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Photo: Martin Gerten, Associated Press

Sunset stroll: A puddle reflects a dog walker and his two best...

Sunset stroll: A puddle reflects a dog walker and his two best... Photo-4116744.56000 - SFGate